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The Hot Seat - June 2009 - KIK Owners Trae & Kris Baxter

The Hot Seat

Photography by Jennie Hendrex

Mini Truckin', June 01, 2009

Hello, and welcome to another jam-packed edition of The Hot Seat. In case you missed last month's story, each month we take a person that has been a vital part, a mentor, or made some significant impact in the scene, and expose him or her and make them blush for your reading enjoyment.

So sit back, light a match, do a courtesy flush, and enjoy this month's installment.

* If you have an idea for someone you want to see in The Hot Seat, email hotwheelbabie@aol.com with your suggestions, questions, or comments, and maybe your favorite person will be our next victim!

This month, we bring you Trae and Kris Baxter from Kustomz Ink Klothing; if you don't know them yet, you're about to know it all!

Q: Tell us one thing people either don't know about you or would be very surprised to hear?

T - I've been married for 15 years to the hottest chick on the planet.K - I grew up on a 500-acre farm in Colorado.

Q: Do you have any tattoos? If so, what is it, and do you regret it?

T - I have a lot. I'm done with my right sleeve and almost done with my left. I only regret not being bigger so I could get more of them.K - I got my first tattoo in '92, so I have a few. We got our wedding rings tattooed on our 10-year anniversary. I have 13 stars that start at my right breast, weave over my shoulder, go down my back, and around my left hip. I have kanji on both of my wrists, WIFE on my left and MOM on my right. Oh, and I have a cherry on my lower back that I got in '99.

Q: Do you consider yourself "regular"?

T - I can poo on Q. I'm like the porn star of regular.K - OMG, did he really say that?!

Q: What is your favorite show of all time?

T - Showfest in Greenville, MS. If you've been, you understand. If you haven't, it sucks to be you.K - My favorite show was Gator Drag 2006, when it was in Jennings.

Q: What got you into the scene?

T - I was in the scene back in the late '80s, but joined the Air Force. A trip to Ekstensive Metal Works in '00 to meet my nephew, who wanted to show me Bill Carlton's new dually, got me right back into it.K - Trae got me into the scene. I am pretty clueless about all of it. I grew up on a farm, remember? Take me to a rodeo and I can tell you all about it!

Q: How did you guys get your start? What inspired you?

T - I was drunk. In the beginning I was inspired by John Beebe, owner of Drop 'Em Wear?, who is now one of my best friends, because he was and is the benchmark for clothing companies in our scene. Also, people like John Pena and Mitch Rall who trusted us to do their club gear when we still didn't know what we were doing. Thanks to them, we now have close to 40 clubs that we work with today.K - Trae came up with this grand idea of a "hobby" to support our car show habit, and the rest was history!

Q: What is your best seller?

T - Kris tells me it's "My Standards are Almost as Low as my Truck".K - Yep, and the girl's is probably a tie between "I Love My Mini-Trucker" and "I'm His 2nd Love (His Truck is #1)".

Q: Who are the people in this wedding photo? Is that a cowboy hat and unibrow?

T - Hey, I'm from the south...and I still can't grow a mustache, damn it.K - Hmmm, once again, the farm...and need I mention that none of us looked good in the early 90s!

Q: When did you trade in your horse for a minitruck?

T - I never did, I'm still half horse...from the waist down.K - In '92...when I left the farm and went into the Air Force.

Q: Is it true KIK was run out of a FEMA trailer for 2 years?

T - Half true, it wasn't a FEMA trailer, it was our travel trailer. It was while we were building our new house/metal building.K - It wasn't a FEMA trailer and it wasn't 2 years, it was 11 months and 2 days! I guess that makes us travel-trailer-trash?

Q: We heard a rumor that Trae has a Drop 'Em Wear? tattoo. If this is true, we have to know the story behind this!

T - It's the Drop 'Em Wear? Skull and its Harvey's fault, he's a bad influence. Harvey got a KIK tattoo at the same time which is more than I can say for "some people". What kind of minitrucker has no tattoos? I think I'll get a bow tattooed on my skull for all the non-tattooed minitruckers out there.K - Don't let Trae fool ya...he'd been thinking about it for awhile, so Harvey's dare was just the final straw.

Q. Is there anyone out there that has not seen Kris' boobs?

T: Maybe. She hasn't shown them to anybody except me lately, I think she was afraid everyone would get tired of seeing them. I've been staring at them for a long time and I still get a chubby when I see 'em.K: When we go to shows it's just as much about having fun as it is about business. Is there anything more fun than topless chicks? After all, as I always say, "They're just boobs!"

Q: What is your record for beers consumed at a show?

T: A lot! I do love me some beer. I prefer Miller Lite if anyone is interested...hint, hint.K: Who cares as long as we're having fun?

Q: Finally, the plugs...what can we expect to see from KIK this year?

T - Lots of new stuff, I'll let Kris give ya'll the details. She's good at the details and stuff.K - Hmmm...18 new T-shirt designs, pro-style flat-billed hats, zip-up hoodies, and tube-tops for the girls. Visit kikstore.com for all the new designs along with our new Inked Baby clothing line.

See all 3 Photos

By Jennie Hendrex

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